The title pretty much says it, I think. Magura = +200 = not rational for nonmillionaires.
Couldn’t I get away with some cheap brakes? Brakes can be cheap, right? Say…under $50 cheap?
I’ve got Magura HS33 on two of my unicycles. They cost me £4 and £6. So they don’t need to be expensive. You can use cheaper brakes like a v-brake or BMX caliper type but they struggle to clear the tyre on a big-tyred muni.
I got both my HS33 brakes on ebay. Buy a used set off a bike for £50, clean them up, shorten the hoses and bleed them, sell one brake for £25 to another unicyclist, sell the evo mounts and brake boosters back on ebay and you’re left with a very inexpensive brake. OK, so you need to buy a pair of 4-bolt clamps and something to mount the brake lever but it’s not going to break the bank. You could certainly manage to keep under your $50 budget.
Rob
I’m using a Tektro 857AL V-brake (listed as having 110mm arms for fender clearance) on my 26" muni. I’m running a tire smaller than 3" but the crosswire is at the same height as the fork crown so any tire that fits the frame should clear the brake. The whole setup cost under $25. If you need to know how to mount a V-brake on Magura mounts see this thread: one way to put V-Brakes on Mag mounts
I thought this thread would be about disc brakes; that’s where the money is! 
Expensive, but free of the problems of wheel truing. Your wheel can be pretty bad, and the brakes will still be smooth and safe. That’s what I’d like to have on my 36ers. Going down really steep stuff always ends up with very “rotational” braking, with a clear sticky part each revolution, even with a wheel that’s pretty true.
Hi, if you are interested, I sell new and used HS33’s for way less than $200. A lightly used HS33 is $85 and comes ready to install and I’ll calculate the right brake line length for you. See some of it at:
I know you can get some great deals on e-bay and craig’s list on rim brakes, but I have found that so few biker types selling these know much about the obscure HS33s that its easy to end up with a brake that is sold as functioning and actually has a broken TPA (that big red knob) linkage or needs a lot of work/parts.
John is right in pointing out one of the key problems with rim brakes on larger wheels like a 36er. I’ve had this same problem and yes, a disk brake will fix this, but I found a little cheaper way to overcome it: I started putting together a hybrid HS33/HS22 Magura brake for 36ers and use them on my KH36er. They let you set the pads further away from the rim for way less annoying brake rub when accelerating and idling. More info on this here:
Cheers,
Brycer1968
You can; I drilled a hole in my KH36 frame and used a kids brake that fit over the tire. I used that for quite some time, however, the braking power isn’t as strong as a magura.
You can also use a V-brake. You can make an adapter out of small parts (search here for a thread on it), or machine one. I machined a magura to vbrake adapter:
I used it for a few rides on my KH36. I was looking for a different solution than magura because I hate it when Magura brake lines break.
For me, the V-brake on the 36 wasn’t strong enough; it just didn’t have the same stopping power as the maguras.
A disc brake might be ideal, but I haven’t tried it.
Your cheapest option is a V-brake or kids brake, provided it fits on the unicycle you want.
corbin
I’ve had very good luck with my 2 v-brake setups. Both frames have standard V post mounts, and both use inexpensive brakes and old canti-levers I had laying around. No probably with lack of power, but I have to keep the rim pretty true so the pads don’t rub.
I thought the same thing when I saw the price of a Magura brake… But I also saw the Brycer1968 was selling them for way cheaper on the forum! I bought an old Magura HS-22 and it works awesome, I didn’t pay $200 for it! I always look for used stuff before buying the expensive new stuff!
My 2 cents: Maguras give you better modulation(eg:control) than V-brakes and the like. I had a top of the line v-brake and Pauls lever on my 36er and I am not a good enough rider to use it without getting slammed. I now have Bryces “Frankenbrake” while I have to be careful with it, I can use it. I know my skill is part of the problem.
The nice thing about cable brakes is how easy they are to adjust. I setup my unicycle brakes to provide much less stopping power than a bicycle brake. This makes for smoother brake application so it is less likely that I will buck myself off the wheel. On a unicycle I use the brake to help slow the wheel down but rely on my legs to stop.
One nice thing about cable brakes is how easy they are to adjust. I setup my unicycle brakes to provide much less stopping power than a bicycle brake. This makes for smoother brake application so it is less likely that I will buck myself off the wheel. On a unicycle I use the brake to help slow the wheel down but rely on my legs to stop.